AB1069 GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PRESENTATION, CLASSIFICATION, AND DISEASE ACTIVITY OF SPONDYLOARTHRITIS: RESULTS FROM GESPA COLOMBIAN COHORT
Authors: M. J. Mantilla, G. Rodríguez Salas, A. M. Santos, V. Navarro-Compán, I. Rueda, J. C. Santacruz Devia, J. G. Ballesteros, E. Calvo, S. Arias, J. Rueda, M. Cardiel, C. F. Pacheco Tena, J. Londono
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2023)

<h3>Background</h3> Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disorder composed of axial (AxSpA) and peripheral (pSpA) disease. AxSpA is further subdivided into radiographic AxSpA (r-AxSpA) and non-radiographic AxSpA (r-AxSpA). Historically, SpA was mostly a male disease. However, actual disease awareness has changed the approach, allowing women to be included to a greater extent. <h3>Objectives</h3> Few studies have explored the male and female disease features in Latin American population. The aim of this study was to examine the clinical presentation, disease onset characteristics, metrology, HLA frequency, and clinical characteristics of male and female SpA patients. <h3>Methods</h3> We used a cohort of Colombian SpA patients from 1990 to the current day. Patients were evaluated by rheumatologists, filled out validated questionaries, and were classified according to the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) classification criteria at the time of diagnosis. Using the available information, patients enrolled before to 2011 were reclassified according to ASAS. We compared the features of both genders and used SPSS 26.0 to conduct statistical analysis. <h3>Results</h3> In this study, 469 SpA patients from a Colombian SpA cohort were included. There were 164 (34.9%) females and 305 (65.1%) males total. There were no statistically significant differences in ASAS classification; 61.2% of females and 50.6% of males had AxSpA, P = 0.3. However, nr-AxSpA was more prevalent among females (20.6%) than males (13.3%), P = 0.01. In all groups the frequency of HLA-B15 was comparable (15.9% vs. 11.2%, P = 0.1). And the prevalence of HLA-B27 was greater in men than in women (52.4% vs. 33.3%, P &lt; 0.01). The symptoms at the onset of the disease had similar distribution in both sexes (table 1). Enthesopathy was more prevalent among women than males (82.4% vs. 72.4%, P = 0.02). but no arthritis, uveitis, psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease (table 1). In males, disease onset was more acute (40.7% vs. 27.3%, P = 0.04). Age at beginning of the disease was 32 (24.5 – 41.1) years for females and 24.89 (20.5 – 31.7) years for males (P &lt; 0.01). The time to diagnosis (in months) was 39 (11.5 – 126) for females and 13 (3 – 71) for males (P &lt; 0.01). Women had more functional impairment measured by BASFI, disease activity measured by BASDAI, and self-reported illness activity than men, although men had a higher C-reactive protein (CRP) (P &lt; 0.01) (Table 1). <h3>Conclusion</h3> Nr-AxSpA is more frequent in women than in men, although radiographic disease is more prominent in men. The prevalence of HLA-B27 is higher in men with SpA. Males are older at the onset of the disease and were diagnosed sooner than females. Females had more disease activity as measured by BASDAI and functional impairment as measured by BASFI, whereas males have lower CRP levels. <h3>REFERENCES:</h3> NIL. <h3>Acknowledgements:</h3> NIL. <h3>Disclosure of Interests</h3> None Declared.